HC TO TAKE ON MERCYHURST IN QUARTERFINALS: The Holy Cross men's hockey team (19-12-3 overall, 15-9-3 Atlantic Hockey), which are the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, will return to action on March 15-17 for a best two-out-of-three quarterfinal series versus No. 6 seed Mercyhurst (16-15-5, 12-11-4 Atlantic Hockey) at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. The Crusaders earned a first round bye and home ice advantage by finishing in the top four of the standings. Mercyhurst swept a best two-out-of-three first round series versus Army last week. Last year, the Lakers won a quarterfinal series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center versus the Crusaders. The Lakers won the first game, 2-1, while the Crusaders took the second by a 3-1 score. Mercyhurst then won the third game, 3-1. These two teams split this year's season series at Mercyhurst on Jan. 11-12, as the Crusaders won the first game, 2-1, and lost the second, 4-2. Holy Cross is ranked sixth in Atlantic Hockey by scoring 3.12 goals per game, while Mercyhurst is third with a 3.22 average. The Crusaders are seventh by allowing 2.94 goals per game and the Lakers are sixth with a 2.75 average. HC is third in the league with a .218 power play percentage and Mercyhurst is fourth with a .200 percentage. The Crusaders are 11th with a .758 penalty kill percentage and the Lakers are ninth with a .787 percentage.

HC LOOKING FOR BACK-TO-BACK 20-WIN SEASONS: The Crusaders' 19-12-3 record is their best after the first 34 games since the 2005-2006 season when they were 23-9-2. The Crusaders, who went 20-15-4 last year, are looking to earn back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. The Crusaders opened the season by scoring six goals versus AIC on Oct. 16. The six goals were the most by HC in a season-opener since the 7-6 win at RIT on Nov. 5, 1982.

HC VERSUS MERCYHURST IN THE POSTSEASON: Holy Cross is 1-4-0 versus Mercyhurst in postseason season play including a 1-3-0 record in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. Last year, Mercyhurst won a best two-out-of-three quarterfinal series, 2-1, while the Crusaders lost to Lakers, 4-3 in overtime in the AHA semifinals on March 18, 2005 in Northford, Conn. The Lakers also defeated HC by a 10-3 score in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament in Erie on March 11, 2000.

4-0-1 OVER LAST FIVE GAMES: The Crusaders are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Holy Cross has outscored its opponents by a 20-10 margin during this stretch. The Crusaders are 10-25 on the power play for a .400 percentage and their .218 power play percentage for the season is 10th nationally. Junior Shayne Stockton (Rochester, N.Y.) has led the team during this stretch with four goals and six assists for 10 points. Sophomore goalie Matt Ginn (Lindsay, Ontario) has a 4-0-1 record over the last five contests with a 1.41 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

SENIOR SALUTE: The six seniors of Kyle Fletcher (Kanata, Ontario), Rob Linsmayer (Winnetka, Ill.), Brandon Nunn (Fairport, N.Y.), Thomas Tysowsky (Amherst, N.Y.), Erik Vos (Carlisle, Ontario) and Evan Zych (Kilbride, Ontario) have been a part of 68 wins. These are the most wins by a class since the 2007 class totaled 75 victories. Go here to read a feature story on the senior class.

HC AVERAGING 3.12 GOALS PER GAME: HC is averaging 3.12 goals scored per game so far this season, which are sixth in the AHA and 16th nationally. The Crusaders have netted three goals or more in 19 of their 34 games this season and four goals or more in 14. HC is 15-2-2 so far this season when scoring three or more goals.

HC AT HOME: HC is 9-5-2 (.625) so far at home this season with wins versus UConn, Bentley, RIT, No. 15 Niagara, AIC, Sacred Heart, Army, two wins versus Penn State, ties versus RIT and Robert Morris and losses versus Army, Robert Morris, Niagara, Bentley and UConn. The Crusaders went 12-3-2 (.765) last season at home. The Crusaders' home record was their best since going 10-1-2 (.846) in the 2003-2004 season. The 12 wins were the most at home since the Crusaders won 13 in 1998-1999 going 13-3-2 (.778). HC is 332-203-38 (.613) all-time at the Hart Center.

HC IN THE AHA TOURNAMENT: The Crusaders have a 15-12 (.556) all-time record in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament as they have won two titles (2004 & 2006). Last season, the Crusaders went 3-2 in the tournament as they swept a first round series at home versus Army and then lost in three games at Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders went 2-2 in the 2011 tournament and qualified for the semifinals for the first time since the 2006 tournament. Holy Cross won a quarterfinal series against Canisius, 2-1, at the Hart Center, and then lost to eventual champion Air Force by a 3-2 score in the semifinals. In the 2010 tournament, the Crusaders went 1-2 with a victory over AIC in the first round and two losses on the road to Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders went 2-2 in the 2009 tournament with a win over AIC in the first round and a 2-1 quarterfinals series defeat at RIT. In 2008, Holy Cross was swept in the best two-out-of-three quarterfinals series at RIT as it lost two 5-4 overtime games. In 2007, Holy Cross lost at Air Force in the quarterfinals. In 2006 at the Hart Center, Holy Cross defeated AIC in the quarterfinals (3-1), UConn in the semifinals (4-1) and Bentley in the championship game (5-2), earning their second title and second NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2005, Holy Cross defeated Sacred Heart, 4-2, in the quarterfinals, but then fell to eventual champion Mercyhurst, 4-3 (OT), in the semifinals. Holy Cross won the first-ever Atlantic Hockey Tournament in 2004, earning the program's first ever spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders defeated AIC (5-0), Canisius (4-1) and Sacred Heart in the title game (4-0). In 1999, the Crusaders won the MAAC Tournament Championship by defeating Canisius, 4-3, in the finals.

HC 10-1 AT HOME IN THE AHA TOURNAMENT: Holy Cross is 10-1 (.909) all-time in Atlantic Hockey Tournament games played at the Hart Center. Holy Cross defeated Sacred Heart in 2005, AIC, UConn and Bentley in 2006 to win the title, earned first round victories over AIC in 2009 and 2010, won a best two-out-three quarterfinal series versus Canisius, 2-1, in 2011, and swept a best two-out-of-three first round series versus Army in 2012.

HC IN THE AHA QUARTERFINALS: The Crusaders are 7-10 (.412) all-time in Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal round games. Holy Cross has advanced to the semifinals four times and has failed to reach the semifinals five times. During the first four years of the tournament, the quarterfinal round was a one-game playoff. In 2004 the Crusaders defeated AIC, in 2005 they defeated Sacred Heart, in 2006 they defeated AIC and in 2007 they lost at Air Force. The last four seasons the quarterfinal round has been a best-two-out-three series. In 2008, the Crusaders lost the series, 2-0, at RIT, in 2009 they lost the series at RIT, 2-1, in 2010 they lost on the road to Sacred Heart, 2-0, in 2011 they defeated Canisius in Worcester, 2-1 and in 2012 they lost at Mercyhurst, 2-1.

HOLDING ONTO A LEAD: HC is 13-1-0 when leading after the second period this season. The Crusaders are also 10-2-1 so far when leading after the first period. The Crusaders are 12-2-2 when scoring the first goal of the contest.

HC WITH DEPTH: The Crusaders have had 23 players tally at least one point. The Crusaders have had 19 players score at least one goal. Twenty-one players have at least one assist so far this season.

WINNING CLOSE GAMES: The Crusaders are 7-3-0 this season in games decided by one goal and 1-0-3 in overtime contests. Senior Kyle Fletcher broke a 1-1 tie in the third period with the game-winner in the 2-1 victory versus UConn on Oct. 26. Junior Adam Schmidt (Warrington, Pa.) broke a 2-2 tie in the second period in the 3-2 win at Air Force on Nov. 2. With the game tied at 3-3, senior captain Erik Vos scored the game-winner in the third period in the 4-3 win versus Bentley on Nov. 9. Vos also netted the game-winner with a goal in overtime in the 5-4 win versus Penn State on Dec. 7. With the Crusaders leading 3-2 versus No. 15 Yale on Dec. 30, Holy Cross netted two goals including the game-winner by senior Brandon Nunn in the 5-4 win versus the Bulldogs. Schmidt broke a 1-1 tie in the third period with his team-best third game-winner of the season in the 2-1 win at Mercyhurst on Jan. 11. Senior Evan Zych broke a 1-1 tie in the third period with his first career goal in the 2-1 win versus Bentley on Jan. 26.

HC ON ONE NETWORKS: All of Holy Cross' home games and Atlantic Hockey away games can be seen via live video streaming. The games can been viewed through One Networks.

THE SERIES WITH MERCYHURST: These teams have met 44 times with Mercyhurst leading, 27-12-5. The Lakers are 15-5-1 versus the Crusaders at the Hart Center. The Crusaders are 2-7-1 versus the Lakers in the last 10 games. Holy Cross is 1-3-1 in the last five games versus Mercyhurst at the Hart Center. This season, these two teams split the two-game regular season series. Last season these two teams met in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinals as the Lakers won the series, 2-1, at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

ZYCH ON HOBEY BAKER FAN BALLOT: Senior Evan Zych is tied for second on the team with a career-best 16 assists. He netted his first career goal with the game-winner in the 2-1 victory versus Bentley on Jan. 26. He is tied for ninth in the league in points by defensemen. For his career, he has one goal and 25 assists for 26 points. Zych is on the Hobey Baker Award Fan Ballot. Go here to vote.

GINN SETS SCHOOL'S SAVES RECORD: Sophomore goalie Matt Ginn now has 905 saves this season which are a new program record. Paul Pijanowski set the previous saves record in 1984-1985 with 872. Ginn is now 18-11-3 on the season. His 18 wins are second for a Division I season at the school. He is already second all-time on the school's Division I career victories list with 35. His 1,534 career saves are third. He was named the Team Travel USA Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week on March 4. Ginn went 3-0-0 on the week with a 1.67 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. He made 24 saves and allowed two goals as the Crusaders defeated Sacred Heart, 4-2 on Feb. 25. Ginn then posted 25 saves and allowed three goals as Holy Cross defeated Army, 6-3 on March 1, while he tallied his first shutout of the season and the third of his career with 20 saves as the Crusaders defeated Army, 2-0 on March 2. Ginn tallied a career-best 51 saves versus Brown on Nov. 25. On Oct. 22, he was named the Team Travel USA Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week. He posted a .962 save percentage, a 1.50 goals against average and a 2-0-0 record. He made 39 saves and allowed two goals as the Crusaders defeated AIC by a 6-2 score on the road in the season-opener on Oct. 16. Ginn then tallied 36 saves and allowed only one goal for a .973 save percentage in the 3-1 victory at Clarkson on Oct. 20.

LINSMAYER ON ALL-TIME CAREER LISTS: Senior assistant captain Rob Linsmayer has 31 goals and 68 assists for 99 career points. He has the most assists and points of any current Crusader. His 147 career games played are second all-time, while his 68 assists are ninth on the school's all-time Division I list and his 99 points are 10th. This season he has seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points. He leads the team in assists and is tied for the lead in points. Last season, Linsmayer tied for first in Atlantic Hockey with five game-winning goals.

BECKMAN NAMED TO ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Freshman defenseman Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.) has been named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team for the 2012-2013 regular season. Beckman has four goals and 12 assists for 16 points. This season Beckman was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month for February as his eight assists led the team for the month. Beckman was named the Team Travel USA Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week on March 4 as the Crusaders went 3-0-0 on the week. He posted one assist in the 4-2 win versus Sacred Heart on Feb 25, while he netted two goals as the Crusaders defeated Army, 6-3 on March 1. Additionally, Beckman was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week on Feb. 4, as he posted his first collegiate goal and also tallied one assist for two points as the Crusaders defeated Canisius, 5-1, on Feb. 3. Beckman has four goals and eight assists for 12 points over the last nine games.

STOCKTON WITH 10 POINTS OVER LAST FIVE: Junior Shayne Stockton has tallied four goals and six assists for 10 points over the last five games. He posted two assists as the Crusaders tied AIC, 4-4, on Feb. 22, while in the 4-1 win versus the Yellow Jackets on Feb. 23, he posted two goals and two assists for four points as he contributed on all four goals. He then tallied one goal and one assist as the Crusaders defeated Sacred Heart, 4-2, on Feb. 25. Stockton tallied one goal and one assist for two points as the Crusaders defeated Army on March 1. For the season, he has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points. His 11 goals are a career best and are third on the team, while his 13 assists are fourth and his 24 points are tied for fourth. Stockton has 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 career points.

VOS LEADS TEAM AS CAPTAIN: Senior captain Erik Vos has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points this season. Vos scored the game-winner in the 4-3 win versus Bentley and the game-winner in the 5-4 overtime victory versus Penn State. He has 32 goals and 39 assists for 71 career points.

FLETCHER WITH 26 POINTS: Senior Kyle Fletcher is tied for the team-lead this season with 26 points, while he is tied for second with 16 assists and is fourth with 10 goals. He was named the Team Travel USA Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week on Nov. 12 for his performance in wins versus Bentley and Sacred Heart. This was the third time he has earned Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week as he received this honor twice during his sophomore season. Fletcher led the Crusaders with two goals and four points on the week, while he was tied for first with two assists. On Friday, Nov. 9, in the 4-3 win versus Bentley, Fletcher scored a power play goal in the first period to tie the game at 1-1, while he assisted on the Crusaders' third goal. Then on Sunday, Nov. 13, in the 6-3 victory versus Sacred Heart, he gave the Crusaders a 3-1 lead in the second period and assisted on the Crusaders' fifth goal of the contest. For his career he has 33 goals and 49 assists for 82 points.

SOMMER OFF TO GREAT START: Freshman Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. Sommer is tied for third in Atlantic Hockey in points by rookies.

E-MAIL ALERTS: Get all the latest news and results on the Holy Cross men's hockey team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.

HC AUCTIONING OFF TWO NHL JERSEYS: The men's hockey program is auctioning off an authentic Sidney Crosby signed Pittsburgh Penguins jersey and an authentic Evgeni Malkin signed Pittsburgh Penguins jersey. The jerseys will be available to be bid on until March 16. All proceeds will go to Pink Revolution, which is an alliance of dedicated individuals with a unified commitment to those touched by breast cancer. Its mission is to support early detection and prevention strategies, fund clinical research advancements and promote survivorship programs in Central Mass. through its affiliation with the UMass Memorial Comprehensive Breast Center.

NUNN NAMED A SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST: Senior Brandon Nunn has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2012-2013 Senior CLASS Award as college hockey's outstanding NCAA Division I senior student-athlete for the men's hockey division. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website or on the Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through March 25. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four® in Pittsburgh on April 11 and 13. Nunn has played in 106 career games with 38 goals and 29 assists for 67 points. Nunn has also been strong in the classroom as he has a 3.67 total grade point average as an Economics major and has earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team honors every season. He is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, a Jesuit honor society in which only 4% of the class is selected that honors students who embody the Jesuit values of Scholarship, Loyalty, Leadership and Service. He also works with the school's Endowment Fund. Nunn started Power Play Points For Pink in which all home power play goals raise money through pledges from the community. The money pledged benefits PINK Revolution. This season the program has raised over $10,000 so far. Nunn has also took part in Crusaders for Kids, a big brother type of program set up by the players to bring inner city kids to other sporting events on campus as well as in the community.

SCHMIDT WITH 24 POINTS: Junior Adam Schmidt is second on the team with 14 goals, while he is tied for fourth with 24 points. He leads the team with a career-best five game-winning goals which are tied for second in the league. Schmidt was named the Team Travel USA Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week on Nov. 19 as he tallied three goals and two assists for five points as the Crusaders went 1-0-1 versus RIT. On Nov. 17, he scored three goals for his second career hat-trick in the 7-3 win, while on Nov. 18, he posted two assists as the Crusaders tied the Tigers, 3-3. He netted the game-winner in the 3-1 win at Clarkson on Oct. 20 and in the 3-2 win at Air Force on Nov. 2. For his career, Schmidt has 38 goals and 44 assists for 82 points.

NUNN LEADING THE TEAM WITH 15 GOALS: Senior Brandon Nunn, who missed eight games this season due to an injury, has played in 26 games with a team-best 15 goals, while he also has 10 assists for a career-best 25 points. His 0.58 goals per game are second in the league and ninth nationally. He is third on the team in points. He scored two goals as the Crusaders defeated AIC, 4-1, on Feb. 23. He scored two goals as the Crusaders defeated No. 15 Niagara, 5-3, on Jan. 18. He gave the Crusaders a 4-2 lead in the second period with his third game-winner of the season, while he then scored his 10th goal of the season to make it a 5-2 contest in the third period. After missing eight straight games, he posted two goals and one assist including netting the game-winner as the Crusaders defeated No. 15 Yale, 5-4 on Dec. 30. He scored the game-winner in the season-opening victory versus AIC and netted a penalty shot goal in the win versus Clarkson. He has 38 goals and 29 assists for 67 career points.

HOLY CROSS HEAD COACH PAUL PEARL: Paul Pearl is in his 18th year at the helm of the Holy Cross ice hockey program, and is just the fifth head coach in the history of ice hockey at Holy Cross. On January 21, 2006, with a 3-2 victory at Dartmouth, Pearl became the school's all-time winningest coach with the 168th victory of his career. Pearl has forged a 282-269-66 (.511) record at Holy Cross and has been the man behind the bench in eight of the 10 most successful seasons in Holy Cross history, while he has had four teams post 20-plus win seasons. Pearl led the Crusaders to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003-04 and 2005-06.

POWER PLAY POINTS FOR PINK: For the second straight season, every time the Holy Cross men's hockey team scores a power play goal in the Hart Center, money pledged will benefit PINK Revolution. For more information and to donate go here: http://www.powerplaypointsforpink.com/.

FINALIST FOR HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Junior Jeffrey Reppucci (Newburyport, Mass.) has been named one of five finalists for the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award. Reppucci was one of 11 nominees named in January. This year's recipient of the award will be introduced and honored in a ceremony on Friday, April 12 in Pittsburgh, Pa., as part of the 2013 Men's Division I Frozen Four weekend. Reppucci is the Founder and President of the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Students Helping Children Across Borders (http://www.shcab.org/index.html). In 2012, he founded Playing For Peace (http://www.shcab.org/suzdal-2012.html), which was a $25,000 community building project in rural Russia. Reppucci's is also the Founder and CEO of the project Working For Worcester 2012-2013 (http://www.workingforworcester.com/).

HC PICKED SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL: Holy Cross was picked sixth in the Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Crusaders received 74 total points. Air Force was first with a total of 112 points and eight first place votes, followed by Niagara with a total of 101 points and three first place votes. Mercyhurst was selected third with a total of 89 points. Bentley and RIT were tied for fourth in the poll with 87 points. The Crusaders were picked sixth, followed by Connecticut (65 points), Robert Morris eighth (61 points) as well as receiving one first place vote, Canisius (38 points), Army (30 points), American International (20 points) and Sacred Heart (19 points).

HC ON THE ROAD: The Crusaders are 9-7-1 (.559) on the road so far this season, which is their best away record since going 13-5-1 (.711) in 2005-2006. The 13 road wins is the school record. HC went 8-11-2 (.429) on the road last season.

USCHO NATIONAL POLL: On Dec. 31, HC was ranked No. 20 in the USCHO.com Division I National Poll with 65 points. This was the third ever time that the Crusaders have been ranked in this poll as Holy Cross was No. 20 on March 13, 2006 and No. 19 on March 20, 2006.